Leadership

Becky Higgins – OEA President

Becky Higgins is beginning her second term as OEA President. A first-grade teacher in the Copley-Fairlawn City Schools with more than 19 years of classroom experience, Becky is a firm believer in the promise of a high quality public education for every student in Ohio no matter where they live. She believes that the key to a better future for Ohio ‘s educators is to combine the potential of OEA’s large, diverse, talented membership with responsible, dedicated leadership in Columbus. Becky recognizes that the challenge of OEA office is to provide strong leadership at the state level while maximizing the impact of leaders throughout the state. She believes that the success of all students is of prime importance to OEA members and she will advocate, in all ways possible, for the attainment of teaching and learning conditions for educators and students that ensure student success.

Becky has served as President of the Copley Teachers’ Association, Member of the Board of Directors and President of NEOEA. She is Chair of the OEA-FCPE State Council and serves as a board member for We Are Ohio and as a member of the Ohio Democratic Party Central Committee.

As NEOEA President during the Senate Bill 5 crisis, Becky built a strong base of support for collective bargaining in northeastern Ohio and has continued that work as she builds coalitions with other labor leaders across Ohio. She knows that building a strong organizing culture within OEA is crucial in order to meet the challenges public education may face in the future. Positioning OEA to be the pre-eminent educational labor organization in Ohio is a task she takes very seriously, and she looks forward to continuing work with other statewide leaders to achieve this goal.

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Scott DiMauro – OEA Vice President

Scott DiMauro, a high school social studies teacher from Worthington, became OEA Vice President in 2013. He chose to become a teacher in order to give students the critical thinking and decision-making skills they need to be successful citizens in our democratic society. It was only natural, then, that he chose to become actively involved in his local union in order to advocate for his students, fellow educators, and a vibrant system of public education.

Prior to becoming a full-time OEA officer, Scott served for nine years as President of Central OEA/NEA, and has experience as president of his local, a member of his local bargaining team, chairperson of Central’s leadership and professional development programs, and political action coordinator. He also led the NEA Legislative Committee for three years.

As vice president, Scott has served as co-chair of the Healthcare and Pension Advocates for STRS and represents OEA’s 123,000 members on a variety of coalition boards and steering committees. He chairs the OEA Legislative Committee and works with OEA’s Government Relations staff to represent educators in the legislature and State Board of Education. This past year, he was proud to help lead efforts of the OEA Commission on Student Success to lay out a comprehensive vision for high quality education for all students and lay the groundwork for positive implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in Ohio.

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Tim Myers – Secretary-Treasurer

Tim Myers is serving his second term as OEA Secretary-Treasurer. He has been a classroom teacher with the Elida Local Schools, teaching Life, Earth and Computer Sciences since 1981. In 1980-81, he was a coach and teacher at Columbus Grove High School.

Tim served on the OEA Board of Directors as a Northwest OEA representative for five years and as an NEA Director for six years. He served on the OEA Program and Budget Committee for eight years, including one year on the Personnel Committee and two years on Constitution and By-Laws. While on the NEA Board of Directors, Tim served two terms on the NEA Program and Budget Committee.

Tim has a strong commitment to finding a fair and equitable solution to the pension crisis. He has represented Ohio’s current and retired educators on the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio Board of Trustees since 2008. He served as Board Chair from July 2010 until September 2011. He is currently Chair of the NEA’s Pension Trustees Caucus.

Tim believes that OEA must step up its efforts to get local members involved in legislative issues for the improvement of education. Senate Bill 5/Issue 2 has shown us that we can stop the anti-public education legislation that is flowing into Ohio if we work together.

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Sheryl Mathis – OEA Executive Director

Sheryl Mathis joined the OEA as Executive Director in December 2013.

Sheryl has more than 35 years of professional experience in education. Before coming to Ohio, she was the Executive Director of the Arizona Education Association (AEA) where her leadership brought financial stability to an organization coping with the challenge of membership losses caused by the elimination of payroll deduction. Under her tutelage, AEA moved to a culture of organizing and she played an instrumental role in the creation of Arizona Wins, a progressive coalition that quickly became a force in electoral politics.

A native of Texas, Sheryl began her career as a classroom teacher in the Putnam City School District in Oklahoma City, OK.

“I am proud to have been an educator,” Sheryl says. “It’s given me a valuable perspective on the best ways in which to serve all members of the education association.”

Sheryl later served as the President of the Putnam City Association of Classroom Teachers, and as a UniServ Director for the Colorado Education Association. From 1996 to 2007, Sheryl was the Associate Executive Director of the Kansas Education Association.